It's the Which? Bike thread!!

[Matt Cartney]

If you are looking at second hand stuff then have a look at the XT 600E (produced up to 2003). I have one with a plastic tank (23 litres), bash plate, luggage racks etc. For genuine 1 up adventure touring in the third world I reckon you'd be hard put to do better. They are insanely reliable and tough as nails, if slightly unsophisticated. The old carburetted single pot technology is simple enough for self maintenace and not without the skills of mechanics in the more remote parts of the world. It's got enough poke for cruising on good roads while being just enough of a dirt bike to cope with off road. The only situation in which it struggles is motorway cruising where the relatively low cruising speed combined with lack of weather protection makes it a bit of a chore. As for dropping/crashing etc. I've had some quite spectacular tumbles which have resulted in little more than a few scratches. Would be worth buying some stronger bars like Renthals though as the stock bars bend quite easily.

As for tyres, Continental Twinduros seem to be a good compromise between off-road and tarmac use. Be careful not to overload them though as they disintigrate as I found out to my cost!

Matt